


The Bite of Marmora

by mikkimouse



Series: Tumblr Fics [169]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Established Relationship, Love Bites, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-23 20:11:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12515600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikkimouse/pseuds/mikkimouse
Summary: “Keith, I believe we need to have a discussion about your mating bite.”Keith spit his water halfway across the table. “You want to talk about mywhat?!”





	The Bite of Marmora

**Author's Note:**

> The title is the fault of everybody on Twitter who didn't talk me out of it.
> 
> Written for the prompt "A Love Bite" from [this prompt list](https://mad-madam-m.tumblr.com/post/164991585155/lustanddai-sweet-affectionate-moments-meme) and originally posted to Tumblr [here.](https://mad-madam-m.tumblr.com/post/166765583190/sheith-for-your-sweet-affectionate-moments-meme)

“Keith, I believe we need to have a discussion about your mating bite.”   


Keith spit his water halfway across the table. “You want to talk about my _what?!”  
_

Kolivan sat across from him, arms on the table and fingers linked. He didn’t so much as twitch an eye at Keith’s reaction. “Now, I understand that you are considered an adult by humans, but you are still young by Galra standards and your knowledge of our race is quite limited.”   


Keith flung out his hands. “What mating bite? What are you _talking_ about?”   


Kolivan cleared his throat and pointed at the side of his neck.   


With dawning horror, Keith remembered the bruise on his own neck. He’d _thought_ his uniform came up high enough to cover it, but either it didn’t or Kolivan was somehow psychic.   


“Now,” Kolivan said with the same gravity he reserved for mission debriefings, “you have to understand, mating bites are a very serious thing to the Galra. They are a pledge. A promise. A declaration of intent.”   


Keith’s face was so hot he could feel a prickle of sweat forming at his hairline. Surely there was a convenient hole under this table where he could disappear and _never have to finish this conversation_.

If Kolivan noticed his discomfort, he gave absolutely no indication of it. “Now, it is cause for concern when one party receives a mating bite, but doesn’t give one to their partner in return. It can indicate a…capricious nature, and means perhaps that they do not intend to make their partner their mate.”   


“Wait.” Keith held up his hand. “Hold on. You’re not upset because I have a…a hickey.” God, he couldn’t believe he was saying this to the _leader_ of the Blade of Marmora. “You’re upset because I didn’t give _Shiro_ one?”

Kolivan remained stone-faced. “It’s important that both parties are clear in their understanding of the relationship. If you aren’t taking it seriously, then—”   


“I am serious!” Keith blurted out, and God, how could he make this conversation stop? “Shiro didn’t want one! Lance and Pidge would _never_ let him live it down. The chances of them seeing mine was a lot smaller.”   


Kolivan frowned. “Is _he_ the one not taking this seriously, then? To refuse a mating bite—”   


“It’s not a mating bite!” Keith argued. “It’s just…it means something different on Earth!”   


Kolivan stared at him for a long moment. “You are not _on_ Earth anymore. And if you cannot find a partner who will honor your affections, we will have to have this discussion with _him_.”   


Keith thudded his head on the table and groaned.   


***

After the most awkward conversation Keith had ever had in his life, he staggered back to his and Shiro’s room and slid down the wall with a groan.   


Shiro looked up from his tablet. “Hard day of training?”   


“Worse.” Keith pulled down the neck of his shirt. “Kolivan wanted to talk about this.”   


Even from across the room, he could see the flush on Shiro’s cheeks. Good. Keith wouldn’t be the only one embarrassed about this.  


Shiro coughed delicately. “What, uh, why did he want to talk about that?”   


“Did you know Galra consider hickeys to be mating bites?”   


Shiro’s eyes went comically wide, and Keith would’ve laughed if he didn’t know _exactly_ how he felt. “They…what? Do they think we’re _married?”  
_

“Engaged, basically.” Keith frowned. “Or…pre-engaged? What was the thing Lance said his sister gave her wife when they were in high school?”   


“Promise ring,” Shiro said faintly. “Kolivan thinks we’re _engaged_?”   


“Actually, he thinks _I_ want to be engaged to _you_ ,” Keith said. “He doesn’t think you’re serious about me because you didn’t accept my mating bite in return.”   


If possible, Shiro turned even redder. “He thinks I’m not serious about you because I didn’t let you give me a _hickey_?”   


Keith shrugged helplessly. He’d sat through the entire painful conversation and it _still_ didn’t make sense to him. “I guess? I tried to explain that’s not what it means for humans, but he was kind of insistent.”   


Shiro set his tablet aside and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Do _you_ think I’m not serious?” he asked quietly.  


Keith gaped at him. “Of course not! I know you are. And…you know I am, right?”

Shiro gave him a soft smile. “I know.”

Keith pushed himself off the floor and settled onto Shiro’s lap, straddling his legs. Shiro’s hands automatically went to his sides, pulling Keith in closer, and Keith draped his arms around his neck.   


“I can’t picture my life without you in it,” Shiro said softly. “And I don’t want to.”   


Keith gently traced his jawline, his nose, and the scar across his face, and watched Shiro’s eyelids flutter shut. “Me, too,” he whispered. “I don’t know if I’m ready to be engaged, but I know that you’re it for me.”   


Shiro turned his head to kiss Keith’s palm, and then pulled him back down onto the bed.   


Keith was more than willing to follow.   


***

The next morning, Keith and Shiro walked hand in hand into the dining room for the daily briefing.   


As Keith had suspected, it took about three seconds for the others to notice their necks.  


“Holy _quiznak_!” Lance sounded both horrified and awed. “Did you guys make out with an octopus?”  

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “Drop it, Lance.”

“I’m serious! I got hit by the gladiator’s staff and I didn’t get a bruise that big!”   


From the other side of the room, Kolivan nodded approvingly. “I see you both have accepted the other’s mating bite. This is a joyous occasion.” He glared at Lance. “To belittle this moment is an offense worthy of a challenge.”   


Lance snorted. “A challenge from who?”   


“Either of the mates whom you have insulted,” Kolivan said. “They may decide to fight you to the death.”   


Lance actually paled.   


Pidge snickered. “Oooo, you’re in _trouble_.”   


Shiro groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nobody’s fighting anybody to the death.”

Keith squeezed his hand. He was enjoying this more than he probably should be. “We could have a _little_ fight to the death. I mean, Lance did insult my cultural expression of love and commitment to you.”

“Cultural—you’re only part Galra!” Lance shouted.

“It is enough for the Blade,” Kolivan said.   


“No fights,” Shiro said to Keith, and then turned to Lance. “And no teasing.” He pointed to Kolivan. “And so you know, I am more serious about Keith than I have been about anything or any _one_ in my entire life.”   


Kolivan inclined his head. “Then I am honored to have you as a mate to one of our number.”   


Shiro linked his fingers with Keith’s and smiled softly at him. “And I’m honored to be that mate.”   


Keith’s heart flipped, and he tugged Shiro closer. “I think we might need to share another mating bite, in that case.”   


He had no intention of doing it in front of everyone, but Shiro’s happy blush—and Lance’s shout of horror—was absolutely worth the bluff.  


**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://mad-madam-m.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mad_madam_m)!


End file.
